Chapter 54 - Volume 4

Extra arc 『The Stage Ghost’s Cappricio』 Chapter 6

I headed to Miria’s direction after she finished the dress rehearsal with my nanny’s tarts on hand.

Since it seems Frandert-sama has thoughts about the current revision of the lines, he was now in the middle of a discussion with the theatre’s manager.

As for me, I hurried my way to the dressing room, eagerly hoping to talk with Miria alone for a bit.

When I neared her dressing room, I noticed that the door to it was ajar.

（Was someone else there?）

I quickly discovered that one of the people talking inside the room was Miria. Her voice was more nervous than usual, yet, it sounded somewhat cheerful. The other person seemed to be a man, his consistently low voice was hard to make out.

（T-this is...）

Could it be... could it the guy she has a crush on? The voice that was deep in conversation with Miria right now... This guy that could make her speak in that tone was the person Miria likes, isn’t it?

But wasn’t Miria a doll?

No, that sort of thing isn’t a problem. I was fully aware that even she had likes and dislikes. If that’s the case, then it might be very likely that she could even love!

Now then, who was it!?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

For a while, I’d been waiting cheerfully, hidden (for some reason) in the shadows. Then, the figure of the person who came out from the dressing room fell into my line of sight.

His messy hair, which felt like he didn’t pay much attention to it, was not pure black, but rather, slightly ashen in color. I’d be hard-pressed to say he had a refreshing impression, but it’s not like he was filthy. His beard was properly shaven and his clothes were... Nope, when I look closer, the cuff of his trousers are dirty.

Perhaps equating misanthropes to shut-ins who don’t go outside is too irresponsible of me, but even so, if he’d been a little tidier, my impression of him would probably be totally different.

Comparatively, when I saw his features up close for the first time, I can say he was — surprisingly — good-looking. But the crease on his brows was so deep, he looked neurotic.

（Mr... playwright......）

I had strong mixed feelings about this.

I peeked into the dressing room, feigning ignorance after that, but Miria was the same as always. However...

「I’m pretty sure that gentleman who passed by just now was the playwright...」

When I started the topic, her white cheeks immediately flushed red slightly. Now, I’m sure it’s love.

「Yes. I’m sure it was. It was Elius-sama」

「Elius... –sama?」

Seeing me look at her very dubiously, Miria added.

「That is...he’s a wonderful playwright. So I admire him」

「And, he’s also the person you like, no?」

When I tried speaking on the hopes she’d spill, Miria looked surprised and paled. 『Eh? What’s with that reaction!?』, I thought, as she faced me and lowered her head.

「...I’m sorry. That’s beyond me...」

「There’s no way that can that be beyond you! Love isn’t a monopoly of humans, you know」

「Monopoly...?」

「Err... in other words, what I mean to say is that love isn’t something limited to humans」

「Love isn’t limited to humans...? -Is that... really true?」

Miria murmured skeptically, then plainly shook her head.

「I think love is a 『monopoly』of humans」

Since Miria’s words sounded final, I was at a loss for words.

「Loving someone isn’t something a doll can do. Even if it looks like dolls can, it’s just a sham. Looking at what people do, dolls can do nothing more than mimic outward appearances」

Miria declared self-deprecatingly but firmly. The words, that were spoken as if to tell herself that, didn’t need my reply.

「...... oh, that’s right. I... have something I’d like to ask you. You’re knowledgeable in a lot of things, and you even know about magic, after all」

I nodded while feeling somewhat uneasy.

「I’ll listen to anything you say. I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer though」

Miria bowed her head politely, saying, 「thank you very much」.

Then, with a light so unmistakably vivid in her eyes — she asks.

「Do you know a way for a doll to become human?」